{"id":14596,"date":"2019-09-09T08:41:02","date_gmt":"2019-09-09T13:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=14596"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:40:47","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T20:40:47","slug":"new-passing-requirements-for-the-usmle-step-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/usmle\/new-passing-requirements-for-the-usmle-step-3\/","title":{"rendered":"New Passing Requirements for the USMLE Step 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

On December 11, 2015 the USMLE committee announced that the recommended USMLE Step 3 minimum passing score will increase from 190 to 196, affecting all examinees whose first day of testing is on or after\u00a0January 1, 2016.<\/p>\n

A change in the USMLE Step 3 passing threshold follows a series of USMLE announcements, dedicated to Step 3, beginning with a restructure of the exam in 2014, followed by the discontinuation of state board sponsorship for Step 3 and, most recently, a decrease in the number of items on the examination.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n

Why the change?<\/h3>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n

The decision to increase the Step 3 passing score is related to performance data and recommendations from multiple sources. Unlike USMLE Step 1<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and Step 2 CK<\/span><\/a>, where the three-digit score impacts a candidate\u2019s competitiveness for acceptance in a residency program, Step 3 is more often treated by Program Directors as a pass\/fail examination.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent years, there have been ongoing discussions at American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) conferences related to making Step 3 pass\/fail in the near future.<\/span><\/p>\n

When to test?<\/h3>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

A Program Director is most interested in the resident passing Step 3 prior to their second year of residency so that they can focus on patient care skills and success in Board Certification. The good-standing status of a residency program is related to the number of graduating residents that become board certified.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are no incentives for a high Step 3 score while in residency. Non-US medical school graduates may take Step 3 prior to matching in a preliminary or categorical program and have advantages when compared to those applicants who have not taken it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bottom line?<\/h3>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

In speaking with most Program Directors the actual score remains less important. One possible exception is for an applicant with a 2nd attempt, low or mediocre passing performance on Step 2 CK. \u00a0In this case, a strong Step 3 score may be redemptive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kaplan Medical\u2019s approach to test-prep and exam readiness has never focused on what\u2019s needed to merely pass any examination. For USMLE Step 3, a 190 or 196 target is well below what we prepare and encourage our students to strive for.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On December 11, 2015 the USMLE committee announced that the recommended USMLE Step 3 minimum passing score will increase from 190 to 196, affecting all examinees whose first day of testing is on or after\u00a0January 1, 2016. A change in the USMLE Step 3 passing threshold follows a series of USMLE announcements, dedicated to Step […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[145],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14596"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14596"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34311,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14596\/revisions\/34311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}